I was made redundant in February this year, I have tried to do my own thing by the way of Freelancing and also searching for suitable jobs however for one reason or another this hasn’t worked out.

Now the months previously to me being made redundant I was the victim of bullying and mobbing at work which came out of the blue, being a company of gossip and little confidentiality even amongst bosses things quickly spiraled out of control and pretty much the whole company jumped on the bullying band wagon. Therefore I knew I was going to be made redundant once it was announced.

I think much of the reason I have had problems trying to search for further work is my motivation, the bullying was hard to swallow and has also left me with depression which I have been battling with all year, Meditation a self help course and natural remedies have helped although I have stayed away from anti depressants.

Now here is the difficult part that has hit me hard this week, it has only come to my attention that there maybe a few other scenario’s working against me.About 3 months ago I signed on for redundancy benefits (JSA), the reason I didn’t do so any earlier was because I didn’t realize I was even entitled to it because I have a lot of money in savings and a few properties. However I was informed by the DWP that in fact I was entitled and also to National Insurance contributions for my pension. So I started signing on, after all I was entitled to it.

After realizing whilst job hunting that a lot of red hot leads were suddenly going stone cold I decided to ask the DWP whether they contact anyone regarding my JSA and it turns out they contacted my previous company to verify my redundancy. Now this has rang alarm bells with me and it all makes sense as I had a few strange emails from ex colleagues around that time. As mentioned the company were bullying me, not the most confidential and turns out me being on JSA has spread like wildfire through the company and probably my city as my profession is small.

All this of course must be damaging my reputation and career which is incredibly unfair and breaches confidentiality as well as giving my self esteem and mental health another major hit. I don’t deserve this!

I need to repair my reputation, self esteem and motivation. I’m not sure whether to write and let me previous company know my views or whether I will be stoking the fire. After all they bullied me whilst there and now they wont even leave me alone since I left. I need to get out of this situation and move forward in life.

Hello there and welcome to the forum. Not feeling too good myself atm but just wanted to say will reply properly later & send u some comforting care wishes. So sorry things are really tough for u. Reeeaaallly hoping it gets easier for u soon x

I am really sorry to hear what you have been going through - this must be horrendous.

If you feel up to it, you could try consulting ACAS (Advisory, Council and Arbitration Service) for free, impartial advice on whether what your former employers have done (and are still doing) is legal, and if necessary they will put you a case together to sue for 'redundancy' (as your employers would have to prove that your job really was redundant) or as they sometimes put it 'constructive dismissal'.

Providing you have evidence of this, ACAS can help you with an unfair dismissal case; not to mention their actions after the event (which are all available for you to see under the Freedom of Information Act, to see if any defamatory remarks were made against you after you left.

Obviously this may be too much to deal with at the moment but you can always have a friend, caseworker, keyworker, social worker or anyone else to act on your behalf. (In an arbitration court, having a keyworker with you works in your defence if you are claiming bullying arising from mental health issues).

I wish you all the best of luck with this. Employment battles can be a nightmare but I hope yours is quickly resolved.

I was made redundant in February this year, I have tried to do my own thing by the way of Freelancing and also searching for suitable jobs however for one reason or another this hasn’t worked out.

Now the months previously to me being made redundant I was the victim of bullying and mobbing at work which came out of the blue, being a company of gossip and little confidentiality even amongst bosses things quickly spiraled out of control and pretty much the whole company jumped on the bullying band wagon. Therefore I knew I was going to be made redundant once it was announced.

I think much of the reason I have had problems trying to search for further work is my motivation, the bullying was hard to swallow and has also left me with depression which I have been battling with all year, Meditation a self help course and natural remedies have helped although I have stayed away from anti depressants.

Now here is the difficult part that has hit me hard this week, it has only come to my attention that there maybe a few other scenario’s working against me.About 3 months ago I signed on for redundancy benefits (JSA), the reason I didn’t do so any earlier was because I didn’t realize I was even entitled to it because I have a lot of money in savings and a few properties. However I was informed by the DWP that in fact I was entitled and also to National Insurance contributions for my pension. So I started signing on, after all I was entitled to it.

After realizing whilst job hunting that a lot of red hot leads were suddenly going stone cold I decided to ask the DWP whether they contact anyone regarding my JSA and it turns out they contacted my previous company to verify my redundancy. Now this has rang alarm bells with me and it all makes sense as I had a few strange emails from ex colleagues around that time. As mentioned the company were bullying me, not the most confidential and turns out me being on JSA has spread like wildfire through the company and probably my city as my profession is small.

All this of course must be damaging my reputation and career which is incredibly unfair and breaches confidentiality as well as giving my self esteem and mental health another major hit. I don’t deserve this!

I need to repair my reputation, self esteem and motivation. I’m not sure whether to write and let me previous company know my views or whether I will be stoking the fire. After all they bullied me whilst there and now they wont even leave me alone since I left. I need to get out of this situation and move forward in life.

Thank You.

Hi oaktree,

You've shown great courage by sharing your experience, so well done!

Gossip is the sign of insecurity and lack of focus, which does no good for anyone. As you've seen, this can harm people extensively. It's shocking how irresponsible this company has been towards you.

Perhaps this applies, but only if you have concrete evidence of harrassing messages - if so, I'd suggest looking into making a claim:

Discriminatory HarassmentHarassment due to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, disability, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information is illegal. If you're being subjected to comments or insults based on one of these categories, it's possibly unlawful harassment. If you're being singled out for treatment different than others in a different category (e.g., you're male and the women are treated more favorably) then you might have a harassment claim.

Otherwise, there isn't much that can be done. Keep fighting and surviving, because that'll wind them up more than anything!

I'd also consider contacting your GP and seeking professional help to restart your motivation and help you deal with what you've experienced.

I completely empathize with your situation, i went through a very traumatic time with a college I worked for a number of years ago, which resulted in me being sectioned a couple of years later because I had PTSD. It's totally out of order how they treated you, shooting your reputation down thus curbing your chances of further employment. I took my employer to a tribunal and won for unfair dismissal because I was in the job for nearly a year and my line manager had compiled a list of my so-called failings in the job! He had booked a Skiing holiday when HR hauled me in for my "under performance". My equivalent colleague came in to gloat about having a pay-rise and going to shop for a Mercedes the day I was leaving. To say my anxiety was high is an understatement. Did you have a Union you subscribed to?I was marginalized by my colleagues, the clique was so tight I could trust no one; I worked hard and did as much as possible to keep up with my workload, so far as to say I did my best but still not good enough for my bosses. It was a relief to leave that job!!! But the mental damage has made me extremely wary of employers, since then I've struggled in jobs because I speak up to freely and bosses don't like it so I have been out on my ear within my probation period with employers. Sometimes where you live can be a very small world and having a reputation with companies can make them underhanded and judgmental. Can you retrain or go into a different type of work? It does take time to get over this, I cannot lie, but there is help somewhere for your mental health. I hope you can get the support you need.